


The truth behind Life and Love

by justmeandmysillystuff



Category: Yuri!!! on Ice (Anime)
Genre: Fluff, Life and Love, M/M, Parenthood, Post-Canon, Rebellious Phase, but he is really sweet and loves his husband and daughter, many emotions, teenage daughter, victuuri finding a baby, viktor and yuuri are parents and they are confused, viktor is not good at baby
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-06-18
Updated: 2017-06-22
Packaged: 2018-11-15 11:39:06
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 5,964
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11230161
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/justmeandmysillystuff/pseuds/justmeandmysillystuff
Summary: Viktor is starting to question the meaning of Life and Love. Whenever he thinks he is getting the grasp of it, someone has to come into his life and prove him wrong.Viktor and Yuuri had always wanted to be parents, but they never thought it would happen so abruptly.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This is a request I wrote for my tumblr blog, life-love-and-alcohol! You can go request something there and I'll write it!!

Life and Love.

Viktor had thought he knew what those words meant. He didn't need to look them up in a dictionary to define them, they rolled out his tongue on a casual daily basis, he spit them, voiced them a thousand times with the security only habit could provide. He was Viktor Nikiforov, after all. Owner of a great life, five gold medals, a beautiful poodle named Makkachin, and a smile that could set any stare on fire. 

How could it have been possible, in any way, that someone like him didn't know about Life and Love?

But all of a sudden, this clumsy guy stepped in with his awkwardness and his glasses, making music with his body, and giving a completely new meaning to two terms that, before, had seemed completely obvious.

They weren't as obvious anymore.

What he could so easily define in the past, the solidity of those words, would now melt into meaningless babbles when he looked at him, when he heard him laugh, when he felt the needy press of fingers on his skin. Suddenly, words weren't enough. 

He had built a whole new definition for Life and Love. A wordless definition. That was so easily summarized into a specific shade of brown, and that he only got when he stared at Yuuri in the eyes. 

However, there were times when the meanings escaped his restrains, and they flew in the empty air and away from his hold.

There were times when Yuuri wasn't there, maybe at the rink practicing or hanging out with Phichit. There were times, when Yuuri was busy or uninterested, and Viktor's roaming hands weren't enough to convince him. There were times when he was alone, maybe staring at the sea, feeling he still had so much Life and Love inside of him he didn't know where to fit, where to pour. 

It wasn't Yuuri's fault, he knew. He had no one to blame but himself. 

Sometimes Yuuri would find him sitting on the couch, looking at his old performances, those in which he still had his long hair and way before he started to question the meaning of Life and Love. Back then, both were found on the ice. And Viktor sometimes desperately wanted to feel that again, that youthful, innocent certainty, that precise definition. In those moments, his husband would reach for him and hug him from behind, massage his neck with loving, caring hands and plant some few kisses on his hair. 

And right then, when Viktor stood up from the couch to pick him up, carry him all the way to the bedroom and make love to him for hours, he knew that was it. That was Life and Love. 

But he wasn't sure if it was all of it.

One afternoon, they were returning from the rink after a busy day of practice, walking the warm streets of St. Petersburg with summer being just around the corner. They were holding hands, just like they always did, chatting about the routines and the moves Yuuri was having trouble with, or even gossiping about some other skater or two. That was Viktor's favorite moment of the day. And he believed it was Yuuri's too, judging by the relaxed smile on his lips and the occasional caresses his thumb traced on the back of his hand. 

He was thinking just about that, of how lovely he looked as he talked about his skating, eyes so shiny with passion that they reflected then sunset thrice as strongly, so submerged into his favorite definition of the two Ls...when he suddenly heard him cut off mid-sentence, and he followed the path of his bugged, widened eyes that were resting somewhere that wasn’t Viktor's own.

A basket. At the side of the road. 

Only then, with the silence generated by shock, he was able to hear the faint noise of whining, and he shared with his husband a simultaneous panicked look.

Of course, they both had heard numerous stories about kids being dumped on alleys or porches, waiting for someone to pick them up and care. Of course they had heard about the cruelest crime of all, which was abandoning a child. Of course they knew this was it. But hearing the story from the news has nothing to do with actually hear the crying, the blabbering, the sobs of a one-year-old inside a basket.

And by the time Yuuri was kneeling, picking the creature between his arms, desperately rambling about how they needed to contact the police right away...Viktor wasn't listening. 

His attention was fixed on those big, teary eyes, that small furrowed nose and sobbing lips. Little hands instinctively reaching for the heat of Yuuri's chest as he was rocked back and forth, crying, desperate for a bit of warmth. For a bit of Life and Love.

The immediate course of action was to feed him. They didn't know what was the last time the poor thing had eaten, and so they took her to their apartment and gave her some milk. They had to stop by a store to buy some supplies, even though they were obviously planning to contact the authorities as soon as possible. But they needed some diapers and special food for the meantime. 

The basket had a little note inside, written in Russian of course, and Viktor could easily tell a huge amount of grammar and spelling mistakes, and he couldn't help but make assumptions. Maybe her parents couldn't take care of her, maybe they didn't have the money...but why leave her there? In the middle of nowhere? 

By the time they got her to eat and sleep, it was already nighttime. Viktor could see just how stressed his husband was. He could read him very easily, and knew his empathy and kind heart were the culprits of his silence and the tension accumulating in his shoulders. Viktor told him to relax, that they could decide what to do the next day, and that he should probably go take a shower. 

Yuuri complied, carefully putting the sleeping baby into the basket again, but this time with a much comfortable cushion underneath and the heat of a cozy blanket.

Viktor was still in daze, not really sure of what he should be doing, or what he should be feeling. He was numbed by surprise, the impact of seeing such a scene. But he was forcefully taken out of his shock by the surreal sound of crying he still couldn't believe that was coming from his own living room.

He picked the girl up, not really sure of how babies worked, but the yelp the poor thing let out as he held her by her feet was enough of a clue to understand he was doing something wrong. He grabbed her from under her armpits instead, warily, almost afraid, as if she could start breathing out fire at any second or jump at his neck with sharp teeth she didn't even have. 

How did someone stop a baby from crying?? Shaking it??

Nope, definitely not shaking it. 

Maybe turning her around?

Ok he wasn't good at this.

The baby kept crying and Viktor kept fearing he would lose all of his hair in the term of one night. Didn't these things come with...instructions or something? Just to satisfy some sense of curiosity and ridiculous hope, he pressed a finger to her belly-button, as if it were an actual button that would stop the whining. But the only reaction he got, was an instant kick on the face.

"Oh fuck!"

Much to his surprised, however, the crying ceased. But it hadn't been the belly-button, the baby was laughing at the way he held his nose in pain. 

"What are you laughing at, you meanie!" he frowned, getting nearer, but the baby didn't seem to take him seriously as she extended a hand to grab his nose "hey, let go! I know it's a pretty handsome nose but you can't have it" 

She chortled merrily, grabbing his eye-lid next, and laughing even harder as Viktor blinked in pain. 

Well, at least she stopped crying.

"Ouch! Keep those hands to yourself, young lady!" 

He booped her nose, and realized that might have been the button he had been looking for, since she gifted him the purest, fondest smile Viktor had seen in years. He did it again, mouthing silly noises, enthralled by the happy yelps and giggles he got for an answer, feeling the joy beginning to rub on him. 

He didn't know how much time he spent playing with her, ticking her belly and pinching her cheeks. But she was laughing, she was beautifully laughing and Viktor was laughing, too. He felt cloyed, overwhelmed, so full of emotions he couldn't fit anything else. There were no worries, no stresses, and no need to define Life and Love. Right then, he felt complete.

He hadn't even noticed when the hum of the shower had stopped, nor how much time Yuuri had been staring at him from the bathroom's door frame, wearing nothing but a towel around his waist, smiling to himself. By that time, the little girl had fallen asleep, and she was clutching Viktor's finger in her tiny hand, occasionally taking it to her mouth to suck on it affectionately. He was fascinated.

"Seems you get along quite well, huh?" Yuuri chuckled softly, hugging him from behind, and planting a kiss to his temple. He seemed to be feeling better.

"Yeah, Lori is perfect" 

"Lori?" 

"That's how I named her" 

"Vitya, no" Yuuri sat beside him on the sofa, and Viktor got to see the previous worry back in his eyes "We can't name her, love. She's not ours" 

"Yeah, but..." he debated if he should say the following words, but they just burst out before he could find a gentler way to phrase it "...what if she was?"

Yuuri blinked, staring at him with what he recognized as disbelief, gaze torn between his husband and the baby on his arms.

"What??"

"Yuuri, darling...wouldn't you like to be a father? We talked about this already, and you said you would like to someday..." the look in Yuuri's eyes made him stop mid-sentence.

"Oh, Vitya" he sighed rubbing his face, giving a long sighed onto his own hands "I would love to, you know I do, but I just...this is so sudden! I still have one or two more years at skating, I don't know if I could handle a baby and my career, I just..." 

"But we can do it together, Yuuri! Together we can do anything!" 

"A baby is not a joking matter, Viktor. We can't just try. Maybe we should wait until I retire..."

"But look at her!" Viktor hugged her close, as if someone may try to take her away from him "Lori is so beautiful! And she needs us!" 

"I think that Lori-" he stopped himself " _the baby_ , needs a family who will take good care of her...You are my coach, and you are just as busy as me. And I'm afraid..."

"What are you afraid of?"

"I'm afraid to be a bad parent"

Viktor saw the beginning of tears shining in his husband's eyes, and he immediately closed the space between them, letting him hold Lori so that he could hug him instead. He had been selfish and impulsive, he knew Yuuri was an anxious, insecure person, and he hadn't considered his emotions. The idea of being parents was way too overwhelming for him to decide in just one night. In fact, it was way too hurried for anyone. He was being irrational and acting out of mere raw emotions. He needed to think things out.

"I'm sorry" he whispered, watching Yuuri's gaze getting lost in Lori as well, but immediately forcing himself to look away "You are right...we shouldn't hurry things up"

For the next week after they contacted the authorities and left the baby at their custody, Viktor wasn't the same as before. 

He knew he shouldn't act so mourning, he hadn't lost anything. His life was just like it was before, and he had always been a happy man. He still had Yuuri, his friends, skating...yet, he couldn't pretend he didn't notice the feeling of emptiness. 

He returned to his habit of watching his old routines. Only that he did it every day, and he spent an alarming amount of hours at it. And when Yuuri walked in, tracing his fingertips down his neck and kissing him soothingly, Viktor didn't stand up to take him to bed. He just stood there, silent, eyes fixed on the screen.

He noticed his husband was conflicted too, but they just seemed unable to deal with the commotion together. They didn't talk about it. He would sometimes find Yuuri in the kitchen plainly staring at the wall, the kettle boiling and whistling loudly in the stove, asking to be turned off. But the man would just stay still, in trance, holding the cup and the tea bag in hand but not moving at all, lost in thought.

One day, Viktor had decided to go for a walk. Sometimes, staring at the sea cleared his thoughts a bit. But the salty scent of the water didn't seem to help at the moment. He returned to the apartment with his hopes down, trying not to sulk as he opened the door, so that Yuuri didn't feel even worst at the sight. But as soon as he got in, the false solemnity of his face broke into curiosity, as he saw a bunch of papers sprawled on top of the coffee table, and his husband sitting on the sofa with his arms crossed.

"What's this?" Viktor asked, warily, taking a document into his hands.

"Read" 

His eyes widened, and he put down the paper to stare at Yuuri in disbelief. 

They were adoption papers. 

"Are you serious?" He asked, his voice a thread.

Yuuri stood up coyly, with tears in his eyes, and in no second Viktor was hugging him close, kissing him, and crying a little bit himself, too.

The paperwork took weeks, but after signing many documents, answering many questions, and buying many baby items online, Lori was finally at home. 

They talked to Yakov, and asked him if he could be Yuuri's coach whenever things got busy. Mari was glad to help, too, and took good care of Lori when her parents were way too busy with competitions. Yuuko offered some help as well as soon as she heard the news, being so happy for her friend to finally experience the joy of parenthood, and willingly giving him a hand whenever he needed.

Even Yurio was enamored by the baby girl, and sometimes he held her and played with her when they took her to the practices.

And Viktor? Viktor was obsessed. Viktor would pamper his daughter and rant about how he was PERSONALLY going to teach her how to skate as soon as she could stand on her feet.

"We are the luckiest people in the world" He would always say, watching his husband as he changed her diapers or lulled her to sleep between his arms. 

Because, from that moment on, Viktor had a new definition for Life and Love.

Life and Love were ephemeral, volatile, and constantly building themselves, changing, morphing, absorbing more and more meanings, smells, eye colors and feelings. 

Life and Love would always have different significances.

And, maybe, he may have found his third L.


	2. Of closed jars and potty mouths

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lori grew up, she's sixteen and a wonderful skater. But it's not only the year for her senior debut...it's also the year for her to get into THAT phase....  
> I just needed older victuuri dealing with a teenager tbh.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is for the person who asked for a teenage Lori! I really loved writing this!
> 
> If you want to request something, please go to my tumblr: life-love-and-alcohol! and I'll be happy to write it!

Yuuri woke up and he was in bed alone.

That wasn’t strange, at all, just the everyday annoyance of stretching his arm and finding cold bed sheets. What was the point of marriage if his husband wasn’t there to warm him up in the mornings, it was beyond his understandment.

The clock marked 7:35AM and the air smelt like burnt bread, which didn’t really surprise him, considering Viktor was always up before he could even start his own process of rise and shine, and the man had never really got the hang of the new toaster. He usually slept through three consecutive alarms, opening his eyes at the fourth. Sometimes the fifth. And only then he would sit on the bed and look for his slippers.

The aches and noises of his joints as he moved were no news either, considering he was already pass his forties, and that no brain out there had found the cure to aging yet.  He really didn’t mind though. He hadn’t even noticed when the wrinkles at the corner of his eyes had begun to break out, and Viktor said the white hair on his temples looked sexy, so he wasn’t very concerned. He stretched a bit and put on his glasses and robe, just like any other morning, just like any other day.

He heard a loud thud coming from outside the room.

Ok, that wasn’t normal.

Making his way to the kitchen, he opened the door to find his husband in the middle of a heated battle with a jar, which’s lid just _wouldn’t_ open, and Yuuri couldn’t help but laugh.

“What’s that?” He chuckled, tying his robe around his waist as he walked in.

“Oh, good morning babe” Viktor didn’t even look at him, as he grabbed the lid through the cloth of his shirt and used so much strength his knuckles turned white. But he did perk his lips for Yuuri to kiss him through his labor though, and of course the other complied “I just can’t…open…the strawberry jam”

“Here, hand it to me” He giggled, taking the jar in one hand and opening a drawer with the other, taking out a corkscrew and carefully piercing the lid “We just need to do…a little whole”

Once the lid was slightly pricked, Viktor stared with widened eyes as Yuuri opened it with ease.

“How did you do that??” He gasped, grabbing the jar as it was handed to him.

“It’s because of the air inside” Yuuri shrugged, taking the newspaper and sitting on his place, just like every morning “Once you release the pressure, it opens easily”

“You are magical” He pressed a little peck on top of his husband’s head, and a spoon full of jam on top of his disappointing burnt toast “So…tomorrow’s Lori’s big day….”

“Ah, yes…she’s been practicing so much. I’m sure she’ll make it though, it’s just the nationals”

“She’ll kick ass, have you seen her quad salchow lately?? She’s gorgeous” There were the glossy proud dad eyes, shining brighter than the humid jam spreading on the bread “I can’t believe she’s only a junior”

“ _Was_ only a junior” Yuuri corrected, smiling smugly “If she gives a good performance tomorrow, she’ll be officially a senior competitor”

“She’ll do great!” Viktor literally squealed, jabbing beneath the table “She’s been training so hard!”

“Yeah….which reminds me…” The mood suddenly deflated, as the small wrinkles in the corner of Yuuri’s lips dropped, smile abruptly gone “She’s been kind of stressed out lately, I believe. She’s really quiet and kind of…moody, don’t you think?”

“Moody?” Viktor lifted a brow, almost offended “What do you mean?”

“I don’t know…she’s just extra wary…and I don’t see her texting her friends at all, it’s weird”

“Do you think she argued with Evgeni, Arisha and the others??”

“I don’t know, maybe her classmates have nothing to do but…she looks upset. I mean, the other day I asked her to text me once she got to the rink just to know she was ok…and she kind of told me to fuck off”  Yuuri watched with a light frown as Viktor poured him some orange juice “No, honey. You know I don’t like juice for breakfast”

“I know but it’s going to be a long day and you need to have something, don’t complain” His husband insisted, grimacing a little bit “And regards Lori…I don’t really see what you mean. Maybe she’s not as affectionate as she was before, she’s a sixteen after all, it’s _that_ age”

“Yeah…maybe you are right” He didn’t sound very convinced “What time is it though? Isn’t it late for practice? We need to be at the rink before it gets crowded”

“Almost eight, I better wake up Lori” He stood up, putting his dirty dishes in the sink before he headed towards his daughter’s room. Yuuri was about to relax, and to actually follow his husband’s advice and drink his orange juice, when Viktor stormed back into the kitchen with a panicked look on his face “Lori is not in her room!”  

His glasses almost jump from the bridge of his nose.

“What do you mean she’s not there??” The chair made an awful noise as he stood up, almost spilling the orange juice as he ran out of the room “Have you checked the toilet??”

“I did, she’s not there!”

Yuuri opened the door to both Lori’s room and the bathroom, as if he hadn’t heard him, or as if he needed to see it himself to believe it. He walked around the house with heavy, hurried steps, the wooden floor complaining beneath his angry feet with loud creaks, as he scanned the whole property with his heart beating in his throat. She wasn’t there. She wasn’t anywhere.

“She’s not here” He felt what seemed like a gasp forming at his throat, but it wasn’t really a gasp. When he opened his mouth, he couldn’t take in any air. And instead of one deep, single puff, he ended up wheezing like a fish out of water “She’s not here, Viktor! Where is she???”

“Calm down, Yuuri” Viktor grabbed him by the shoulders, shaking him a bit, not looking nearly calm himself “She might have gone out to practice earlier”

“Why wouldn’t she tell us??” Yuuri got out from his grip, nerves beginning to shake his bones as he tried to walk away, but his husband grabbed him by the arms again and held him in place “What are you doing?? Let go!! We need to look for her!!”

“Yuuri, breath” His tone sounded much rougher, severe, as he held Yuuri by the head and forced him to look at him in the eye “We are not going to solve anything by panicking!”

After years of marriage, he had finally understood how to deal with the anxiety sprouts. He needed to put the messy thoughts some limits before they broke the boundaries of his sanity, and before they eventually broke Yuuri down completely. That usually managed to get his breathing even again. Yet, that didn’t help he was sickly anxious himself.

“I…I need to call her” Yuuri stuttered, voice quivery and choppy as he got out of the other’s hold for good “Hand me my phone”

Viktor complied, failing to unlock the screen a few times because his fingers were shaking pretty badly, but he managed to find Lori’s name in the contacts either way. He passed the devise to Yuuri, who quickly pressed it onto his ear and waited for the call’s tone, as he shifted his weight between one foot and the other nervously.

“She’s not answering”

“Try again” Viktor held his shoulders, half as a mean of comfort, and half to balance his own stability. He wasn’t that young anymore, he couldn’t handle pressure in the same way he did in his earlier years, and he was already beginning to feel light headed.

However, before they could grow any more worried, they heard the sound of the front door unlocking and shared a hopeful look.

Running towards the entrance, they almost stumble against each other as they entered the main hall, and a common gasp of shock left both of their agape mouths as they saw Lori walking in, eyes tired and stained with make-up, and wearing a way, _way_ too short skirt.

At the sight of her panicked parents, she mouthed what Yuuri read as an “Oh shit”.

“Lori Nikiforov!!” Viktor blurted out, before his husband could start the lecture himself “What are you doing?? Returning home these hours?? And dressed like THAT??” He took a hand to his forehead, as dramatically as always “I think I’m fainting”

“Ugh, I just went out with my friends! That’s all!” she tried to pass through them to get into her room, but Yuuri grabbed her by the arm before she could escape.

“You are not going anywhere!” He made her face him, a new wrinkle forming between his brows “Who gave you permission to leave the house?? We were worry sick!!”

“That’s why I didn’t tell you, I knew you would make a fuss about it!”

“Well yeah, young lady! You have a competition tomorrow!!” Viktor crossed his arms, never lowering his voice, being so much better at taming his emotions than his husband “You said you would practice with us today!”

“It’s always about skating, right?? You don’t give a shit about me!!”

“Lori!!” Yuuri shouted “What are you saying?? We thought competing professionally was a dream come true for you!”

“Well, maybe it isn’t! Maybe I don’t want to skate anymore!!” she yelled, almost causing two simultaneous heart attacks “I’m done with it, and I’m done both of you!!”

Viktor froze, numbed by shock, having to seat on the sofa as he felt his blood dropping to his feet. Yuuri, on the other hand, with his stress in the clouds, just felt more pressure pumping into his nerves, face red and chest shaking, as he saw his husband was about to faint and his daughter was simply storming away.

“Stop right there!! I’m not done with you yet!!” he tried to stop her, having to clench his fists as not to grab her again “Do you hear me?? We need to talk about this, Lori!” She didn’t answer, and opened the door to her room instead “Lori!!”

“I hate you! Leave me alone!!”

And with a loud bang, the door was closed; the thud echoing through Yuuri’s ears and the whole extension of his ribcage.

He had to sit down too, hands shaking and breath hitching, as he felt Viktor rubbing his back thoroughly. It wasn’t fair, it was always Viktor who soothed him instead of being the other way around. He knew his husband must have been feeling quite horribly too, but he couldn’t even stand up to get him a glass of water. Instead, he did all his wretched, pity-struck body allowed him to do, and threw himself in between his arms.

He felt a pair of fingers gently brushing his hair as he panted, trying to get the hold of his own breathing, concentrating in the gentle caress of the familiar hands now curling in his hair.

“What did I do?” He asked, barely hearable, as he buried his face on his chest “What did I do wrong?”

“You did nothing wrong, it’s ok. It’s just the teenage hormones, I guess”

“No, it was my fault, I…I should have…”

“Stop taking all the blame all the time” He cut him off, stopping his caresses “You are being petty”

“And you shouldn’t have brought the skating up” Yuuri slipped his fingers beneath his glasses and rubbed his eyes “She seems very stressed”

Viktor frowned, not actually in the mood to actually acknowledge his portion of the blame, but kept his mouth shut anyways. There was no need to cause more unnecessary fighting.

“Hmm…I think she’s just upset with, you know, girly stuff”

“What do you mean?”

“Well…” He trailed off, somewhere in the back of his mind actually feeling guilty about revealing his daughter’s secrets “she told me she was mad because Evgeni wouldn’t ask her out”

“She likes Evgeni??” Yuuri gasped, slapped by shock, but not stunned enough as not to feel offended “Why did she tell _you_ and not me??”

“I don’t know, I guess it came up” Viktor tried to shrug it off “Maybe she would have told you one of these days”

“No, she wouldn’t. She doesn’t trust me”

“Yuuri…”

“You heard how she screamed at me!” As he realized he was raising his voice, he immediately shushed himself down, afraid Lori would hear “What I mean is…I’m running out of ideas, I don’t know what to do…”

Viktor kept silent for a while, exhausted, since breathing such a dense air was sufficiently tiring. He took his husband’s hand in his, taking it to his lap and caressing it with his fingers, as some sort of distraction.

“Well, we could always kill Evgeni and make it seem an accident”

It took Yuuri a handful of seconds to realize he was joking.

“It’s not the time to play the jealous dad, Viktor” He inhaled the change in the atmosphere, remembering how oxygen felt, as if he had just emerged from underwater “I think I need to talk to her”

“Go, do it” He said, standing up from the couch “Meanwhile I’ll sharpen the knives”

“Viktor…”

 

* * *

After an hour or two, there was a light knock on Lori’s door. She hummed loudly, indicating they could come in, and Yuuri entered the room to find her lying on her bed, facing the wall.

“Uhm, Lori…may I have a word with you?” He tried, gently, but received no audible answer.

He closed the door behind him anyways, sitting at the edge of the bed, and waiting in patient silence. He knew better than pushing her to talk. Even if she wasn’t his biological daughter, she could be very much like him when it came to dealing with emotions, and the worst thing he could do right then was invading her privacy. So he just stood there, silent, without saying a word until she curiously turned around, hugging a pillow against her chest.

“What do you want, dad?” Her eyes were still shadowy, darkened by slumber and badly cleaned make up. But here voice was different than before, calmer, and unmistakably gloomier.

“That’s my line” Yuuri replied, getting quite a puzzled look for an answer, dark eyes peeking from behind the cushion “Tell me, Lori. What do you _want_?” She kept silent, looking away, sinking further onto the bed as if she wanted to disappear “Lori…”

“I don’t know” She mumbled, eyes watery.

“What is it? You want to stop skating? That’s it?” She didn’t answer “Fine by me, Lori. I don’t care. I don’t care at all”

He heard a wet sniff coming from behind the pillow.

“You don’t?”

“Of course not, sweetie”

“But…doesn’t Papa want me to win?” She whispered, hiding her full face, intimidated by the smothering fondness in her father’s eyes.

“Lori, Viktor and I just want you to win so that you are happy. That’s all we ever cared about. You just seemed so happy on the ice, and told us a hundred times it was your dream to be successful on the sport, so we just…betted on that, I guess. We insisted on it because we thought it made you happy…but if it’s not like that anymore, then you can quit” He could see the peak of tension on Lori’s shoulders as he mentioned the idea “It’s your choice”

She uncovered her face slowly, looking at him with those eyes that had the power of melting him into a puddle, just like when she was a little girl.

“I…I’m not sure” She sighed “I just…my friends started hanging out without me because they say I never have time for them. The other day I was coming back from the rink and saw them at a café without me, and when I asked why they didn’t invite me they said they already knew I would be busy anyways and I just…” A sob cut through the sentence “They were joking on the group chat saying that they were going to hang out last night and I was surely going to be absent and I just _needed_ to prove them wrong. I can have fun too!”

“I understand, Lori. But you should have told us. Do you have an idea of how worried we were when he realized you weren’t here? Sneaking out is no joking matter!”

“I’m sorry…I fell asleep at Arisha’s, I was supposed to come back before you woke up”

“Don’t do it again. Never” He frowned, forcing his voice into authority “Promise?”

“Promise” She dropped the pillow, hugging her father by the waist instead, resting her head on his thight “I just don’t want my friends to forget me”

Yuuri kissed the top of her head, smiling, and running his fingers through her long, wavy hair.

“That’s normal, honey. The life of an athlete has many sacrifices. And it’s your choice to decide just how far you are willing to go. I was lucky to find people who shared my passion for the sport, skating with Viktor was all I could ever ask for…but not everyone will understand. For example, you are lucky to have us. My parents had no clue on what a salchow even was” Lori laughed, drying her remaining tears “But they stood by my side because they loved me anyways, and I’m sure your friends will do the same thing for you…even Evgeni”

She suddenly jumped away from the embrace, looking at him, mortified.

“Did Papa tell you??” She asked, red-cheeked. Yuuri nodded awkwardly “God! He’s such a blab!”

“Don’t worry, I promise to be discreet” He giggled, ruffling her hair before he stood up “I think you need to rest though, you had quite an intense night, I guess”

“Yeah, I’m tired” Lori yawned, resting on her bed again, without even bothering to get under the covers. Yuuri turned to leave, thinking his mission was complete, and that he probably should leave her alone to think for a while. But as he was about to close the door, he heard her voice again “Oh, daddy?”

“What is it?” He smiled, relieved to hear that sweet name again.

“Thank you, I love you”

* * *

The next day, Lori’s short program was the highest score in the lists. She had performed beautifully, stealing some few tears from both of her dads (especially Viktor, who yelled “ _THAT’S MY DAUGHTER_ ” at every single passerby for the next hour and a half) and taking the audience’s breath away. All of her friends (Evgeni included) had come to watch her perform, and she was ecstatic.

However, when her performance had come to an end, the first people she ran to hug were her parents. Aka, the best coaches in the history of figure skating.

“Thank you” She had said, leaning over the rink’s railing and wrapping her arms around their necks, before she skated away to receive her score.

Yuuri smiled as he saw her greet her friends, looking so merry and carefree, still high on the applause and the narcotizing spotlight. There was no way that girl could leave the sport, no one who was sick with passion could abandon their dreams, and his daughter had all the symptoms. He recognized a skating freak when he saw one, believe him, he had experience enough.

There was suddenly a hand on his, and he turned to meet his husband’s teary eyes, blissed and cloyed with pride, before he leaned in to peck his lips.

“What did you say to her yesterday?” Viktor asked, chuckling slightly, as he followed Lori’s every movement with the corner of his eyes.

“Well…” Yuuri squeezed his hand, and joined him at staring that piece of art that was now happily celebrating at the other end of the rink “Once you release the pressure…it opens easily”


End file.
